Sport implements are used in various sports to throw, strike, or otherwise move a ball, puck, or other object.
For example, in lacrosse, a player uses a lacrosse stick to carry, pass, and shoot a lacrosse ball during a game. The lacrosse stick includes a head for catching, carrying, and throwing the lacrosse ball and a shaft comprising a handle for holding the lacrosse stick. A butt-end region of the handle is typically provided with a hand abutment to abut a hand of the player. This hand abutment may be formed by an end cap mounted at a longitudinal end of the shaft and/or by tape wrapped in the butt-end region.
Existing end caps or tape to provide a hand abutment in a lacrosse stick's butt-end region basically fix the hand abutment's position, such that it is impractical or not readily possible to adjust the hand abutment's position along the lacrosse stick's handle. In some cases, the hand abutment may not be positioned where the player would like to have it located and this may have adverse effects on the player's control or “feel” of the lacrosse stick. Also, existing end caps often have a shape that is bulky or otherwise not particularly well adapted to handles of lacrosse sticks on which they are used.
Similar issues may arise in other sports, such as hockey or baseball, in which players use sticks or other sports implements.
For these and other reasons, there is a need for improvements in lacrosse sticks and other sports implements.